


Annealed

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: Annealed [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 05:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6181246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The long, lean frame is covered in denim overalls and a white sports bra.  The upper part of the overalls hangs down to flap against her legs, and Regina can just see the white tank top half-stuffed into a back pocket.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Annealed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Oparu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/gifts).



> I had originally planned on doing a series of vignettes for all five pairings my recipient requested, all based on some central theme. And then I took another look at this first prompt and started writing. And kept writing beyond the word count I was planning per vignette. And then this new Maleficent muse made herself known and that was all she wrote, or so the saying goes. This is just the first part of a whole new AU series for these two.
> 
> Mal's cursed last name, Zmaj, is the [Croation/Serbian word for Dragon](http://www.draconian.com/say/say.htm), because I liked it better than either of the German options I found [to honor KBvS' German heritage] or the Afrikaans version [to honor her husband's South African heritage]. It's pronounced as _zmai_. The title is based on the job she was given in the curse, which seemed appropriate for her life in the Enchanted Forest. And yes, the tattoo will get focus in a future story…

It is a strange sensation to be living in this land, knowing that not a single other person here remembers their lives before her glorious curse was cast. Everyone's punishment is so utterly apropos to their various transgressions against her, and she just loves walking through town each morning, just to watch them suffer through their tedium.

Until the day Regina goes exploring and finds herself in front of an art store she doesn't remember including in the curse, curiously called Take Flight Designs. Unsure of who works there, she walks into the shop, momentarily taken by the beautiful blown glass artwork. But it's the delicately designed winged creatures that capture her attention the most. Just as she reaches out a finger to trace one nearly transparent wing, a voice from the back stops her hand… and her heart.

"Be right out!"

 _No_ , she thinks to herself as she waits, forcing herself not to fidget. _No, this isn't possible. She's supposed to be--_

"Hey, sorry about that," comes that voice again as the beaded curtain parts to let out the shop owner. "I was right in the middle of getting a new batch of glass melting, and I didn't want to mess up the color ratio."

She nods slowly, still unable to speak as her eyes take in the woman standing before her. The long, lean frame is covered in denim overalls and a white sports bra. The upper part of the overalls hangs down to flap against her legs, and Regina can just see the white tank top half-stuffed into a back pocket. The defined abs get her heart racing again, but the muscular upper arms do even more. A riot of blonde curls makes a pretense of being tamed into a sloppy bun at the crown of her head. But none of those hold Regina's gaze as much as the icy blue eyes that have always dominated the woman's features.

"I-I didn't mean to distract you from your work," she finally says, inwardly cursing herself for stumbling over her words. She hasn't been this bad around the woman since they first met all those years ago, back when she was a starstruck apprentice of Rumpelstiltskin and a newly made queen.

"Oh please, it's okay. I'm probably due for a break anyway." She tilts her head to the side to study Regina's face for a moment, then her cheeks darken as she wipes her hand on her pants before holding it out. "Where the fuck are my manners? Malinda Zmaj, owner and head bottle washer of Take Flight Designs."

As she moves closer, Regina catches a glimpse of a tattoo on the back of Mal's left shoulder. _Okay, that's new_ , she thinks as she accepts the blonde's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zmaj. You have some lovely work."

"Oh please! Call me Mal. Ms. Zmaj is way too formal for me."

Regina smiles at that. "All right, Mal. And please, call me Regina."

"So, Regina… See anything you like?" Mal asks, voice pitching just a bit lower into a register Regina remembers well from the early days of their relationship. "I mean, it would be a pretty big coup for my little shop to advertise that Mayor Mills has purchased some of my work." Then she scratches at her left shoulder a bit. "Fuck, that was really forward of me, wasn't it? Sorry, I don't really do well with people and small talk. I'm more comfortable with my cats and my furnace than anything else. My last partner told me I'd be better off with someone else to be the public face of my work, but that just feels too fake for me. Take me as I am or don't, but I think my work speaks for itself."

"I'd love a tour of your studio," Regina says, the words out of her mouth before she can pull them back. "I mean, if you're the kind of artist that does that sort of thing. I'm not very artistic, but I've always been fascinated by the people who can coax such beauty from base materials." She gestures around the shop. "Even on my salary, I don't think I could afford as much of your work as I'd like to own."

A slow, sensual smile spreads across Mal's face, and it takes everything in Regina not to visibly react. "I'm sure we can work out some sort of arrangement, Madam Mayor." She turns to the counter and grabs a business card that she then tucks into the breast pocket of the expensive blazer Regina's wearing with two fingers. For a split second, Regina swears the blonde has stroked her breast in the process. "When you're ready to negotiate a deal, you just give me a call, hmm?" Mal says, practically purring the words. "Day or night, it doesn't matter. I spend most of my time back in the studio anyway. You never know when the muse will strike."

*****

It isn't intentionally a first date. Neither actually calls it a date, and it's couched in the safety net of Mal giving Regina a tour of her studio. Ever the good guest, Regina offers to bring a meal for Mal, having learned that the blonde rarely eats. Some things never change, even with the curse in place.

This date almost doesn't happen. It takes Regina nearly two weeks to call Mal about the negotiations to purchase some of her work. They meet at the office, discussing ideas in general terms, and Regina finds herself fascinated as Mal does some basic sketches while they talk. And then, Mal just blurts out the invitation for a tour of the studio, saying that it might help for Regina to know the process she works with. Regina accepts, and clears her schedule for a day in the following week.

On the appointed day, Regina packs an honest to god cooler full of food, mostly picnic-style finger foods and sandwich fixings, as well as two good sized portions of her lasagna. And a bottle of red wine that pairs well with the lasagna. She'll be damned if she'll let Mal go a whole day of showing her around without eating.

Mal is waiting behind the counter when Regina steps into the shop, nervously shuffling paperwork. Regina can see the tension in the blonde's shoulders, and her fingers itch with the need to massage it away, just like she had so many years ago.

"You made it!" The words are bright, Mal's tone that slightly higher pitch that so few have been privileged to hear. It only comes out when she feels out of her depth, which has never been often in Regina's memories.

"I brought food, as promised," Regina replies, holding up the cooler. "Do you have somewhere we can store this? Oh, and a thank you gift for this tour." At this, she holds up the bottle of wine, feeling every bit as nervous as she thinks Maleficent is.

"Oh yeah, there's a fridge back in the studio. Come on around, and we'll get that stowed before we start the tour."

Regina follows her, resisting the urge to lick her lips as she studies the blonde's back. Mal is wearing much the same outfit, only she has the tank top on this time and the overalls are buttoned up like they should be. Clearly she hasn't started any proper work yet. And then her eyes are drawn to the tattoo that had teased her two weeks ago. It's a stylized pair of wings on either side of a mostly black, anatomically correct heart, hints of red showing through the black. The wings look almost leathery, like a bat's or a dragon's. And the heart looks far too familiar to Regina for comfort. _Whoever added you into this curse knows far too much about us and our past_ , she thinks to herself.

*****

By the time dinner rolls around, Regina has seen everything in the shop and the studio, but the practical demonstration of making glass has her most fascinated. Both a previously started project and a brand new one are demonstrated for her benefit. In the process, clothes are shed until Maleficent looks like she had when Regina first found her two weeks ago. Watching Mal manipulate glass and metal with such deft and powerful finesse turns Regina on in ways similar to the flights they once shared. It's only when her own stomach growls loudly that she realizes they've completely missed lunch.

"I suppose this is as good a spot to take a break as any," Mal says with a grin. "So what did you bring to feed me, Madam Mayor?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "You can call me Regina, you know. I've been telling you that all day."

"I know, but I like how your title rolls off my tongue." Mal winks at her and heads toward the area designated as her living space, including the refrigerator where their food is. "But I can call you Regina if you insist."

"I-- Yes, please," she replies, following the blonde.

She knows now that Mal is flirting with her. There can be no other explanation for the coy, almost knowing looks all day, and the teasing use of that lower register of her vocal range. There haven't been as many touches to truly confirm the flirtation, but Mal has been working with intensely hot things all day, and Regina wouldn't dream of distracting her from that. But now, they're going to sit down and eat, and she's not sure she'll be able to hide her reactions to Mal's teasing as easily.

"Oh hey, I need to go close up the shop," Mal says, pulling Regina from her thoughts. "There's a microwave, and all the silverware and dishes are over there. Use what you need and I'll be right back."

And then she's gone, and Regina's left behind in this little nest of Maleficent's within the overly warm cave of her lair. The food preparation manages to occupy most of her thoughts, but she preternaturally knows when Mal comes back to join her. She just points to a seat at the small table as she continues to plate up the food, smiling when the blonde complies without complaint.

"Are you planning to feed an army, Regina?" she finally asks as she looks over the spread on the table.

"Not quite, but we _did_ miss lunch," Regina says, pulling the lasagna from the microwave and setting both plates on the table before sitting across from Mal. "And don't worry, whatever we don't eat is yours for future meals."

"You don't have to do that." Mal actually looks sheepish, but pleased at the same time.

"I know I don't have to, I want to. Now eat your lasagna before it gets cold." She smirks then. "I hope you like a little spiciness to your food."

Mal meets her gaze then, and Regina's mouth goes dry at the naked emotions in those blue eyes. "I'm not afraid of a little heat, Regina. Question is whether or not you are." And then she takes a bite of the lasagna and moans lustily, the sound making Regina's mouth water just as quickly.

"I--" She clears her throat, but doesn't back down from that direct gaze. No showing the predator weakness, or she'll be done for. "I can handle any heat thrown my way, Mal. Give me your best shot."

Before she can process what's happening, Mal gets up and moves the few feet separating them. Leaning down, she cups Regina's chin in one hand seconds before their lips meet. Regina's eyes flutter shut as slightly chapped lips brush against her own, memories of long ago kisses rising to the surface. She easily allows Mal's tongue to slip into her mouth, falling into an old pattern of letting the woman control the kiss.

It would be so easy to fall back into a relationship with Mal, certainly more satisfying than anything with Graham. She's missed the connection they once shared. But can she separate Mal's real personality with this cursed alter ego? 

For a breath of sanity and familiarity in this already boringly cursed town, she'll learn to do it.


End file.
